Phi for All

I don't think anyone but you and I thought "best" in the thread title meant "highest probability of actual success". This should have been, "What's your best 'make your buddies laugh but get utterly shot down by the girl' line?" As today's poor geek is bent over his PDA furiously calculating his chances of picking up the beautiful girl, natural selection hops nimbly over him....

No offense, but to recap, this is what I understand so far: You had an idea for a perpetual motion device that defies conventional theories of physics (no problems there, theories change when new discoveries are made). You met with some skepticism, some of it not so nice (natural, since no one else has ever made one work, but perhaps discourteous). You made a prototype that cycles twice before it's motion ceases (problem here, since I can make a device that will complete at least twenty cycles before stopping, using a rubber band and a pencil). You come back with a picture of the prototype which, according to you, should "paint this post black" and make us all feel tiny and insignificant in the shadow of your greatness. This device only completes two cycles but would go forever it it had more wood and metal in a circle (I'm assuming you don't mean enough to make an "infinitely big" circle). I'm always amazed that we lesser minds always fail to grasp the greater concepts when shown a picture of them. We've all been waiting for someone to come along with this very invention, using inexpensive 2x4 technology and a willingness to defy the law in a quest for the greater good. Salutes, brothers, I hope the press does this story justice.

Feh, unlike wine, the blood of a vanquished foe is best when fresh and unaged. And since you're likely to get more than 5 liters, maybe that's why a loving cup has two handles....

How can minds *in college* be so closed?

... or mead, ale, blood of the slain. I'm sure it dates back quite a ways. They're also called Loving Cups, and they were used in ceremonies where they were filled and passed around to all in attendance.

I'd bet money it has something to do with drinking.

"Exactly. ( ) I could see it too if you let me sit a little closer...."

"Pick up lines don't work on classy women. Would you mind telling me what you find attractive over a cup of coffee?"

This is getting to be so typical of the media. They should be getting Pulitzer's for fiction. And so many of these little lies and generalizations go completely unnoticed. I hate it when selling the script is more important than reporting the facts.

Are you suggesting a connection between the concepts of ZPE and multiple dimensions? AFAIK, ZPE is just a hypothesis that the seemingly empty space between matter has an extremely small amount of heat in it, barely above absolute zero, but since their is such an incredibly vast amount of this space the energy involved is equally incredibly vast. I don't know that ZPE has been linked to M or Srting theory though.

"You need a foot massage. Go take your clothes off while I do the dishes."

It's also a type of dress, to go from one gear to another, to move an object from one place to another, to change case in typing, or to move abruptly without apparent cause or warning (I'm sure there are others). There's also shifty, meaning devious or evasive, which must be from the moving abruptly without apparent cause or warning definition. Sorry, probably too much information.

"I believe in priorities. Go out with me and you'll always come first."

I've read this as well. And yes, doing something every day for 21 days is supposed to fix the pattern in your brain and make it much easier for you to continue to do it.

Probably part of the Mexican border and illegal immigrants controversy. I've seen an email being circulated that is allegedly what Mexico's immigration laws are, and it specifies that you must be able to speak Spanish. For some reason, this angers many people.

Genecks, you make some good points and give some good advice. Persuader sounds smart enough to pick out what will enhance Persuader and what will keep Persuader from being a basement-dwelling tuna-eater who hates humanity. No offense, Genecks, I truly realize things have been pretty bleak for you. And you're spot on about focusing on what's good for you and what will help you get ahead. Drive and determination are the keys to getting what you want. But you must also remember that you live in a society full of people, and often times those people can make life a lot better for you. It's true that the vast majority of those people will not be your close friends. But the secret to people is that there is *something* about almost EVERYONE that you can like about them. You can get pretty good about finding those *somethings* pretty quickly. Those who have many *somethings* will be your friends, and the friends who also care the most and end up sharing the most activities with you will be your best friends. Beyond friends, you 'll have people you work with, and while many people dismiss co-workers as mandatory acquaintances, you're going to be spending quite a bit of time with them. Learn to emphasize what you like about them and make sure your dealings revolve around those points. People are a resource and can make life a whole lot better. Sure, there are a lot of jerks, but everyone acts like a jerk sometimes. Learn about the Fundamental Attribution Error and how to avoid it's evil clutches.

Oooooooh, grab one of them and say, "Can I study over at your place?" If it's not too personal, why you don't get along with your mother? It's usually every parent's dream that their kids hang out with friends like yours.

If you're smart enough to ask for help, you're smart enough for anything. And procrastination is... well, I'll tell you tomorrow. Friends are the best but if they aren't doing what you need to be doing then they'll understand that you need to be doing what you should be doing. If you're smart enough to figure *that* sentence out, you'll be graduating college when you're 19. Do the people you hang with have similar problems? What are their GPAs? Are they doing their homework *before* they screw around? Do they care as much about this as you do? Can you ask your grandparents if you can study at their place? Sometimes a different environment helps you focus. And if I know grandparents, they'll be honored you came to them for help. If you can't change your environment, you've got to change the way you use your environment. Your ability to adapt is one of the reasons why humans are at the top of the food chain despite not having big pointy teeth.

You've got plenty of time to fix things and more importantly you understand the need to fix things. You've got the guts not to stick your head in the sand and that tells me you're going to be OK. Do you think you study enough? What takes up most of your time? Do you have enough friends and family to support your desire to get a better GPA?

You continue to undermine what little credibility you have with the rest of the membership. This is a verbal warning to knock it off with the personal attacks. The OP was VERY clear about the nature of this thread. Please stick with the format and try to provide evidence-based arguments only. It would help if your remarks didn't show forgone conclusions, assumptions and fallacious logic as well.

So he'll be cross-eyed for *his* ID badge photo!

Have your buddies stopped laughing yet? Or were they horrified that the two-foot hurdle they egged you in to turned out to be so disfiguring?

Murphy's Law Corollary #817: Always make sure the bet is for enough money to pay for the plastic surgery. Murphy's Law Corollary #817a: Needing the plastic surgery means you lost the bet and can't pay for the plastic surgery. You're going to look terrible for the picture. If someone makes fun of your badge tell them you got the cuts and bruises dismembering the last person who made fun of your badge.

She's back and posting in Neuroscience.